Sister Cities: Getting better as the years pass

Dear Friends:

As we go about city business, we are confronted with numerous challenges day in and day out, so it’s good when we can emphasize the positive. That’s what I did this week in City Council when I gave an overview to my council colleagues on our accomplishments with the Sister Cities of Los Angeles organization these past several years. As many of you know, I serve as president of L.A. Sister Cities and enjoy many great relationships with our 24 member cities, including our most recent member, Yerevan, Armenia. A delegation led by Council President Eric Garcetti traveled to Armenia earlier this year for the ceremony. This people-to-people program was created by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 to strengthen citizen diplomacy and avoid future conflicts. As Los Angeles continues to thrive as one of the world’s most culturally diverse places, so too does our Sister Cities program. Our annual Sister Cities Cultural Day showcasing world music and dance performances has grown in size and stature and especially now that it is held at the Grove at Farmers Market.

I am always eager to lead a delegation to any of our Sister Cities around the world and will do so twice in the next three months when I join Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit for events marking the 40th anniversary of the Los Angeles-Berlin Sister Cities relationship.

TOM LABONGE